News

NEW YORK, NY April 22, 2007 —Mayor Bloomberg released his plan to cut back greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by the year 2030. In an Earth Day speech at the Museum of Natural History, the mayor proposed making buildings more energy efficient and investing in cleaner power plants.

As expected, he also proposed a congestion pricing plan; Drivers who enter Manhattan below 86th Street would have to pay $8, though bridge and tunnel tolls would be subtracted. The mayor said he wants New York to set an example.

BLOOMBERG: Leadership is about recognizing challenges and seizing opportunities. And we are going to seize this opportunity, to lead the way forward and create the first environmentally sustainable 21st century city.

REPORTER: Critics of the congestion pricing plan have called it a tax on the middle class. But Bloomberg said he would begin investing in more mass transit options, such as faster bus service, before the pilot program would start in 2009. However, the plan needs approval from Albany and some legislative leaders are already opposed.